The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested two paid petition circulators for petition fraud crimes related to the marijuana legalization initiative that’s poised to appear on the November, 2024 ballot.
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According to a press release, three circulators “submitted dozens of falsified marijuana and gambling initiatives petitions”, including two who worked exclusively on the marijuana initiative. The arrests culminated from multiple statewide investigations led by FDLE’s Election Crime Unit (ECU) inspectors working with the Florida Department of State Office of Election Crimes and Security (OECS), and with assistance from local elections supervisors.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “Our elections process, whether it be for candidates or ballot initiatives, must remain free from those who would commit voter fraud to champion an initiative or candidate. In this case, paid petition circulators were trying to game the voting system. Our Election Crime Unit, working with the Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security, is committed to thwarting these attempts. These illegal activities will not be tolerated.”
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd said, “The Florida Constitution is a sacred document by which Florida’s government, voters and citizens are adjudicated. Florida Law lays out a detailed process by which issues can be submitted to Florida’s voters for consideration before they are added to Florida’s Constitution. To fraudulently misappropriate this process for personal gain is not only illegal but also violates the trust of law-abiding Floridians across the state.”
Zachary Paul Dworsky, 34, of Miami, was arrested and booked into the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department on Dec. 13 for 15 felony counts each for criminal use of personal identification information and signing another person’s name or a fictitious name to a petition. Dworsky falsified petitions for ballot #22-05 Adult Personal Use of Marijuana.
Natalie Marie Marrero, 33, of Orlando, was arrested on an FDLE arrest warrant by the Winter Park Police Department and booked into the Orange County Jail Nov. 27 for 16 felony counts each for fraudulent use of personal identification information and false swearing of voter registration information. Marrero falsified petitions for ballot #22-05 Adult Personal Use of Marijuana.
Additional charges may be filed pending the completion of the investigations.
The cases will be prosecuted by Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.
The marijuana initiative would allow those 21 and older “to possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion, or otherwise.” Licensed marijuana retail outlets would be allowed to distribute the plant, with any of the state’s licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries allowed to “acquire, cultivate, process, manufacture, sell and distribute such products and accessories.”
The initiative is currently before the Florida Supreme Court, which is considering whether the initiative can appear on the November, 2024 ballot.
